Las Vegas – Knees wrapped in ice, his country's letters stitched across the chest of his jersey, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant relaxes here at the end of a Team USA training camp practice and reflects.

A year ago, before putting together a season's ledger that would result in an NBA most valuable player award – his first – and a moving acceptance speech that praised his mother as the true MVP and further endeared himself to the general populace, Durant committed himself to a summer in which the U.S. is seeking to defend its World Cup championship.

It might not have been a decision that other NBA superstars would make, offering his services so far in advance, sacrificing precious time off to recuperate and recover from a long season.

But Durant isn't an average luminary in this game.

His talents separate him from most of his peers; his attitude and comportment nearly make him unique among the preening multitudes that make up professional basketball.

Kevin Durant is his own man.

And if folks wanted to spin it that he made a statement last summer when he stood here alongside Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and team chairman Jerry Colangelo to pledge his allegiance to the U.S. of A and its national basketball program, well that was all right with him.

"This is my third time playing for USA Basketball," Durant, along with New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and Houston Rockets guard James Harden among a trio of returning 2012 Olympic gold medalists who will defend the country's honor in Madrid next month.

"My basketball career, my basketball life, is short when you look at it in the grand scheme of your whole life. So I just want to take on every opportunity. I never want to take anything for granted. If they give me an opportunity to play for my country, as long as I'm healthy, I'm going to try to be here. They want me here. It's a great opportunity for me to learn and get better and prepare me for next season."

It's easy to count humility among Durant's many assets.

Three of the last four seasons, Durant has won the NBA scoring championship, helping lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012 where OKC lost to the Miami Heat.

He has made a long-term commitment to Oklahoma City, eschewing the chase of free-agent cash while remaining true to the franchise that drafted him when it was still in Seattle in 2007.

Just this week, he didn't dismiss the notion of returning to his Washington, D.C., roots to perhaps play for the hometown Washington Wizards when his contract with the Thunder runs out in 2016, taking the diplomatic route in his thoughts.

"We're going to put it out on the table," Durant said. "It's been talked about. Everybody is asking me about it. Every time I go on Instagram or Twitter, all my friends ask me about it. So I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm naïve to the fact that people think about that stuff.

"But I just tell everybody, 'Look, I'm here in Oklahoma City. I love it here.' Who knows what'll happen? You never can close a door on anything, but I like where I'm at right now. I can't answer those questions."

Make no mistake Durant is a man of his word.

A year ago, he and Minnesota's Kevin Love affirmed their union with Team USA.

Love pulled out last week fearing an injury in the run-up to the World Cup, or in the tournament itself, might derail his chances of being traded from the Timberwolves to a more desirable NBA destination.

Durant remained steadfast.

"I mean everybody is their own man; you've got to realize that," Durant said. "I made this decision based on what I felt was right for me. If guys want to follow that, it's cool.

"But a lot of guys sacrifice their summers before I was even in the NBA to USA Basketball. I think guys like LeBron, Carmelo, Chris Paul, I think it's their duty now to sit out and rest, plus they're older."

Clearly, there's no doubting Durant's fidelity to the flag or his U.S. teammates.

He is the leader of this team, as he is the Thunder.

More importantly, the pride he feels when he pulls on a USA jersey is genuine, not made-for-image artificial.

"It's a great experience, man, to see how dedicated and committed each player is on each team to win for their country," Durant said. "It's a tremendous honor. You think when you play against other countries, from the fans to the management to the best player on the team, they're all united.

"So that's how we feel when we go over there. It's us against the world. And it's a great feeling."